Mega Mission-The Novel
by Zarius
Summary: A unique novelization of the first episode of Power Rangers Megaforce, with some twists. On his first day of school, Troy Borrows asserts himself, but can he assert himself as the leader of a fresh set of teenagers with attitude as they go toe-to-toe with the Warstar?
1. First Day

**POWER RANGERS MEGAFORCE:**

 **MEGA MISSION**

 **THE NOVEL  
**

 **WRITTEN BY ZARIUS**

 **Disclaimer:** This is an adaptation of the first episode of _Power Rangers Megaforce, "Mega Mission",_ which was originally written for television by James W. Bates, though there is unique interpretations of the dialogue and additional content by me that is original to this take. This adaptation is intended for fun and not for profit. _Power Rangers_ , _Power Rangers Megaforce_ , and all related characters, and weapons, are trademarked by **Saban Capital Group** and **Nickelodeon** respectively

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE:**

 **FIRST DAY**

* * *

It began with an ignition.

A fusion of fierce fire and fury.

Leaps of faith from color-coded warriors.

And then a charge.

They swarmed onto the battlefield in their thousands, weapons in hand, their foes, attired in grey and purple with oversized heads, swarmed over them in seemingly greater numbers.

The battle was soon joined.

More flames ignited in the palms of one warrior's hand.

Another, skilled with a sword, cut deep into his enemies as they encircled him.

Also on approach to the battlefield was an almost robotic knight, assisting a small group of warriors armed with their own unique brand of weaponry.

This individual, the group of warriors he was assisting in this particular battle, all of it felt just as important as the battle that was proceeding.

The group ran across the warzone without any hesitation, without any fear.

It was admirable.

But was it foolhardy?

What could have caused this glorious scene?

 _What a strange idea_ , thought the curious mind of Troy Borrows.

 _Is_ _war_ _ever glamorous?_

There was another burst of light as the battle escalated. The sounds of conflict dimmed, caving in as a voice cut through the might and majesty of the unfolding spectacle.

"Hey kid, wake up" the voice repeated.

All too quickly, the realization sunk in.

The excitement dimmed.

The eyes slid open.

And Troy Borrows was awake.

"Are you getting off the bus or what?" asked the driver impatiently

"Weird dream" slurred a bag-eyed Troy as he came around to find himself almost the sole occupant of a school transport vehicle that plenty of keen students had not long disembarked from.

"You're gonna be late on the first day of school, step it up a notch kid" insisted the driver,

"Not something to be proud of if I were tardy" said Troy, grabbing his school bag and quickly lifting his Kester off of his seat to walk down what felt like an endless stretch of corridor.

On most first days on the school bus, alert and active students could stand to form a few quick friendships as they waited steadily for the student body to disembark from the vehicle. Not so fortunate a day for Troy it seemed.

 _Plenty of time to make up for that, both today and tomorrow_ he thought, as he thanked the driver and headed into the school building.

As he entered, he quickly made his way to the reception to inform them he had arrived and to pinpoint the location of the first class he had listed on his timetable. Science Education.

Inside that very class, lively students were met with a swift and immediate brain-teaser from their teacher, Mr. Burley, a rather quirky, lanky and cartoonish yet classy sort of character, with a tweed jacket and bowtie occupying a slightly overlong mutton-like moustache and glasses.

, "What species will outlast all others on Earth?" he asked

An eager young female student, dressed from top to bottom in light and deep pink shirt and shorts, raised her hand.

"Emma?" asked Burley.

"Insects" Emma replied, "They'll have the legs to stand tall long after we pay the price for playing dice with the laws of nature"

"Wrong" challenged another classmate, a little nerdy, with curly hair and sporting a blue shirt and glasses. "Robots powered by perpetual motion engines is a hands-down candidate, they are our lasting legacy, so long as we, y'know, keep those three laws in check, you know what the score is with that I presume?"

"Not everyone reads Asimov Noah, besides, robots don't count as a species" contested another of the students, a tall blonde draped almost completely in black, from jacket to jeans, with the exception of a bright yellow shirt.

"Check that out, beautiful _and_ smart" remarked a student from behind Noah, also dressed mostly in black, something the more fantasy-dependent side of him sure would lend him some shamanic brownie points with the young woman later when the time came to mingle unrestricted from class.

"Gia certainly knows her sci-fi Jake, but her argument is just as much a fiction" replied

The door to the classroom opened and in stepped Troy.

"Ah, Mr. Borrows is it? Glad of you to join us five minutes into this session, perhaps you could prove the solution to our current class query?" Burley asked as Troy made his way to his desk, "What species will survive all others?"

All eyes were trained on the new kid.

Any normal freshman coming in late without much information given on the subject would feel ever so slightly intimidated, but the son of a former combat solider stationed five years in a hostile foreign environment had little to fear.

Troy Borrows was a man who could assert himself with considerable ease, and was quick to answer.

"Humanity" he replied. "I mean, think about it, we've always convinced ourselves that all of us huddled together will spell an end before long, I say look at where history has brought us. By working together, we can overcome just about anything; we've done so in the past, I don't see why that should stop. I doubt we'll see any _Revelations_ in our lifetime"

Emma and Gia looked at each other and nodded in approval. They didn't think the speech was all that great, or the answer that smart, but they admired the manner in which Troy had presented himself, where as many others would have

"That's a rather optimistic mind-set to have Mr. Borrows, I certainly hope your faith is rewarded" replied Burley.

With the quizzing concluded, the student body got to work, all while Jake kept his eyes firmly trained on Gia.

* * *

High above the Earth, aboard a sleek blue warship with silver-tipped wings, a malevolent moth-like creature observed the small blue planet via a hive-like array of monitors.

"Creepox" he bellowed, contacting a creeping mantis-like creature who was stationed on Earth within a remote forest area on the outskirts of the city.

"Yes, Admiral Malkor?" Creepox asked

"What is your assessment of activity on Earth so far?" asked in return.

"Humans on this planet have grown weaker and more fragile in the years since the last great siege by the grand Spectre. They cannot hope to match our strength"

"Beware your enthusiasm, it blinds you to this planet's history of protection by the accursed Power Rangers" cautioned Malkor.

"There has been no active sign of Rangers since the Nighlok attacks were thwarted. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were in hiding"

"That…or planning to counter our own strategies. We cannot afford to be complacent"

"Then as the first wave of this planned coup on the quadrant, let us strike fast and hard so there will be no time for a swift response from the Rangers, or to recruit any new Rangers" replied Creepox. "Let us swarm over this planet and squeeze it dry"


	2. Active

**CHAPTER TWO:**

 **ACTIVE**

* * *

Many hours later, as the first day of school wound down, Gia and Emma took to their respective lockers and made plans to hang out for the rest of the day.

"Heading to Ernie's?" asked Gia.

"Sure, but do you mind if I head into the woods first?" replied Emma as she took out a camera and a notebook.

"What's the occasion?" asked Gia, "You going to see what the birds and the bees are really all about?"

"The Orange Mara Fireflies are migrating, it's a once in a lifetime chance for me" Emma explained, taking her eye briefly off the contents of her lock, which, as she removed her cycling helmet, caused some of books contained within to spill out.

Gia, with her sharp visual reflexes, caught site of the falling books, and swiftly extended her hand to catch them and, without glancing fully at Emma, confidently passed then notebooks back to her.

Emma gave her a coy smile in return for the good hearted deed, and placed the books back in the locker and sealing it shut.

"I'll catch you a little later" Emma declared, "Order me my usual over at Ernie's will you?"

"Sure" said Gia, "A low-fat cherry-berry strawberry it is"

"And remember to hold off on the hot fudge…way too syrupy for my tastes" Emma responded.

Gia nodded, and the two went in opposite directions.

As Gia confidently swaggered down the corridor with her bag slung over her shoulder, she passed Jake by. His eyes immediately began to make a bottom-to-top inspection of the fine specimen moving towards the exit, keeping his sights trained on her boots, then legs, then back, and then her luxurious blonde hair.

Excited, he headed back to his class, where Noah was still packing up.

"Noah, c'mon, I overheard Gia's heading for the _Brain Freeze,_ I don't want to miss a window of opportunity _"_ urged Jake.

"You're the type that'd walk into a window if the distraction was desirable _"_ replied Noah, _"_ She's the hottest ticket in town, what makes you think you stand a chance with her over anyone else?"

"Let's go, c'mon" replied Jake, not even bothering to process the question, and dragging Noah by the arm out of the class. Noah barely had time to grab his bag before this action took place.

"Fine, but you know how tight I like to be with money, so you're buying when we get there" Noah replied.

* * *

Aboard Malkor's vessel, another of the Admiral's valued allies, Vrak, was updating his superior on the state of the planet, and was expressing his concerns.

"Humans have always posed a problem, it only takes a few to cause damage to so many, as the years of resistance by the Power Rangers have proven" Vrak reported, "To suggest they are used to only the small and harmless insects on their planet as you have is a, forgive my rudeness, naive assessment"

"Were you not as important to the royal lineage as you are, I would bury you beneath a thousand moons for that opinion Vrak, but you are looking at someone who has what humanity has strongly lacked in these most recent of years…the capability and confidence to conquer. Just wait until we land. We will squash the lifeforms on this planet and take this world for ourselves"

Malkor permitted himself a devious and loud laugh

* * *

Nearby, at a remote beach at the very tail-end of the city, inside a vast cavern like structure, things of great importance were stirring from a sound and still sleep.

The cavern was dark, but what little light illuminated it revealed some distinct features to it that one would not normally find within a similar network on Earth. There were large black columns embedded in stone and a giant motorized fan maintaining a calm and cool temperature within the cavern.

And then there was the matter of a small golden robot with three eyes, two large panels covering its back, and two wheels serving as its legs, stationed completely still in the centre of the cavern.

One of the columns suddenly lit up, followed by another, and another. Bright shades of green, yellow, and blue amongst the colors being displayed on them.

"Tensou?" came an ominous and commanding voice, seemingly coming from a looming shape attached to one of the cavern's many walls, concealed within the murky shadows.

The robot slowly came to life before the shape.

Its first thought was to immediately address the elapsing of time.

"How long were we snoozing?" Tensou asked.

"Many years" replied the voice,

"No wonder I'm so groggy" Tensou wearily tried lifting him upright, he kept falling flat on his face as lingering exhaustion took hold.

"You must be fully active and alert, the Warstar have arrived on Earth. This is the day my mentor prepared us for. Assemble the heroes while I tap into the Silver archive and learn what I can of what changes have come to pass in the years since our period of suspended animation"

"One thing at a time Gosei" replied Tensou as he scurried over to the columns and, with but a glance, tapped wirelessly into the network of raw data they provided. As he did so, a thought occurred to him.

"What about the keys? Do we use them?" Tensou asked.

"That would escalate the battles to come; we must honor our mentor's advice in regards to that. We must take simpler steps until then"

"So what kind of heroes are we talking about?" asked a curious Tensou as he continued to spin around the cavern, trying to get as many kinks out of his system as he reasonably could within the time afforded to him before the urgency of the situation required him to be fully prepared.

"The kind that exemplifies excellence in the human spirit, a most energetic and unstoppable group" revealed Gosei.

"Don't say it" a troubled Tensou said, sighing.

"Yes my friend, _teenagers_. Get me five kids with talent and attitude. And get them _now_ "


	3. Frozen

**CHAPTER THREE:**

 **FROZEN**

* * *

As Jake and Noah made their way into _Ernie's Brain Freeze,_ a swank establishment alight with bright color from seating to floor to overall decor, and looked over by a man with a matching attitude in the form of the proprietor, Ernie.

Jake tossed and twisted the football he was carrying with a confident swagger as he spotted Gia, trying to get her attention without really asking for it. Gia was too immersed in her studies to care.

"What can I get for you lads?" asked the enthusiastic Ernie as Jake and Noah sat down on the opposite end of the bar.

"Three of the usual" requested Jake.

"Three?" Noah replied.

"Yeah, you, me, and the lady in the corner over there" Jake replied, pointing to Gia. Noah rolled his eyes.

Ernie glanced over. A mischievous smile soon spread across his features.

"Sure" he said.

Sensing the stars may be aligning in their correct fashion; Jake turned around and made yet another move Noah would find disparaging.

"Hey, you know no one should put you in the corner right?" Jake remarked.

"Dirty Dancing references? Way to date yourself" Noah replied.

Gia didn't lift her head up to acknowledge the comment; she remained very much prioritized with what she was studying.

"I like it, keeps her head in her work rather than the clouds. A hard worker. A bit like myself"

"The only hard work you put into anything is the quest to spend a Saturday night with someone other than yourself" commented Noah.

* * *

In the tranquil and lush forest area of the city, Emma was making good on the rare opportunity to capture the elegance of the Orange Maras as they danced across the branches. Keeping her eye trained on one of them, she pulled her bicycle over and disembarked, carefully approaching the creature with precision baby steps as it rested atop a small branch.

Camera in hand, she focused the lens and swiftly took a mesmerizing photograph.

Not satisfied with just the one, and knowing time spent with the creature would prove all too seldom, Emma continued to take continuous shots of the firefly as it remained locked in the same position without waiting for a variation in movement.

Emma didn't care that there was no variety.

To have it frozen in an instant of time over and over again was almost, to her, visual poetry.

"You are _so_ beautiful" she whispered.

Finally, just as she took one last shot, the Orange Mara flew away and the focus of her lens was soon trained on a larger insect altogether as it made its way through the forest.

"What _is_ that?" Emma said, as whatever it was, she could distinctly tell it was not of this Earth.

As the looming form of Creepox stalked the woodlands, it began taking large intakes of breath, as if it were trying to sniff something out.

Suddenly, it stopped in its tracks and turned as whatever it was sensing grew stronger in detection.

"I can sense a human presence nearby" the creature exclaimed, turning in the direction of Emma's location. Startled, Emma ducked behind a nearby tree just as Creepox glanced in her direction.

* * *

Back at the Brain Freeze, Ernie prepared three smooth vanilla ice cream cones for his two regulars and the object of Jake's affections. He swiftly handed them over to the two boys.

"Here you are" he said, "That's six bucks"

Jake smoothly reached into the pocket of his sweater and handed him twenty dollars.

Ernie, taken aback, raised the note high above his head and raised a curious eyebrow.

"Sometimes I feel this is just a legal means of robbing my till" he remarked, and went over to provide Jake with the necessary change.

Jake grinned and turned around to fixate further on Gia, only to find she had vanished, leaving her bag and books behind.

Confounded, he turned around to ask Noah if he had seen her leave, only to find he too was gone.

Suddenly, he didn't feel too good; it was almost as if he was beginning to feel somewhat displayed.

In an instance, his bewildering thoughts were met with frightful reality as a large spiraling wisp of energy began to steadily destabilize whole chunks of his body before his eyes. Panicking, he tried to let out a scream, only to be denied even that as his full form from top to bottom was swept to the far winds.

Ernie came over with Jake's change, only to find him gone.

While initially perplexed, Ernie soon figured Jake had merely taken a 'keep the change' attitude and had bailed with Noah and the girl that had caught his interest and were out having a good time.

"Lucky lad" he said, and, without a moment's further thought on the subject, resumed his normal working day serving fresh customers.


	4. A Position of Power

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

 **A POSITION OF POWER**

* * *

High atop an office block overlooking the city, Troy was deep in thought, and dedicated in practice.

He had just taken part in a local martial arts tournament, and much like he had with his first day in class, he asserted himself on the field of tense combat, managing to tie with his opponent.

He was content with the result, but strived to better himself and achieve complete victory if he ever took up another challenge like that.

As he practiced defensive strikes and delivered straight kicks to the thin air around him, he grabbed his nearby juice container with some tenacity and finished off its content.

A notion occurred to him.

A rather odd notion, but perhaps it was to satisfy any lingering selfish frustration he was feeling as the memory of the exhibition fight and its results lingered.

He would better himself.

He would take the fight to the enemy.

And he would win.

Those thoughts, ones of victory, fueled him now.

He threw the bottle high in the air and leapt at it, swinging his right leg to catch it with his foot and send it careering over the building. Half of him hoped it wouldn't smack someone direct in the head upon touchdown.

But this was denied to him. In a swift and sudden manner, his body found itself dispersed by the same wisps of strange energy that had taken so many others this day.

But there was a method to this madness.

A method and a _destination_.

His atoms, temporarily scattered, were quick to reassemble somewhere else.

And he was not alone.

Surrounding him were Gia, Jake, and Noah. His classmates from Science Ed.

Jake, groggy from the trip, looked down and found the Ice cream cones he had bought from himself and Gia had spilled onto the floor of a dimly lit cavern.

"Aw man" he said in despair, "How on Earth did we get from the Freeze to the Batcave? What just happened?"

"I think we were transported here somehow" explained Noah.

"No" said Jake, boundlessly enthusiastic, "We were teleported…like on Star Trek"

"That's what I meant. Transported. Like on Star Trek, they call it a transporter" Noah added.

"I think teleporter is a much cooler name for what brought us here."

"Just _where_ is here?" asked a frustrated Gia.

"It worked" exclaimed an electronic voice as Tensou emerged from the shadows to inspect the four teenagers

"A fully functional vintage automaton...I've seen better" said Noah dismissively

Tensou was quick to let out a charge from his outer shell that shocked Noah.

" _Old school_ am I?" a frustrated Tensou said as he sped away from the group.

"Hey, wait, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings" assured Noah, when all of a sudden the walls surrounding the teenagers suddenly lit up with a line of color-coded figurines spread across them.

"Check out this mad merch" exclaimed Jake.

Suddenly, the central light came online and the whole inner structure of the cave lit up. The teenagers were soon graced, face to face, with what resembled a gold and silver Tikki head with penetrating emerald eyes.

"Freaky tikka" replied Jake.

Troy walked over to one of the small figurines aligning the walls

"I've seen these before" he said, "In my dreams"

He found himself taken aback. Something about the figurines was compelling him to return to the dream he had earlier on the school bus.

Dreams of a conflict he was still hesitant to call grand.

Another word was insisting use in his mind regarding it, but he felt it was not the appropriate time to use it.

"This is amazing" said Noah as he studied the structure. On one hand, it seemed like such a simple layout, but it still excelled where it mattered.

"Welcome humans" came a booming voice from the giant head situated at the front of the cavern.

"I am Gosei. This planet's guardian. Our lives are about to change. Forever. A decade or so ago, my mentor, Zordon of Eltar, sacrificed himself to ensure a disastrous siege on this sector of the galaxy was thwarted, but before his great sacrifice, he and his associates tapped into the great Gaia spirit and fused it with the power of the Morphing Grid to create me."

"Guardian?" asked a bewildered Troy.

"I only awaken when this planet is faced with an extraordinary threat" Gosei replied.

"No offense, but you look like something on my dad's Hawaiian shirts" continued Jake.

"I took this form in the hopes I could best communicate with humans. It appears I am having difficulty even with that" said Gosei

"Ignore him" said Troy, "Speak with conviction and we will be attentive"

"This is a perilous time for humanity. Since this world's last great countdown to destruction was halted, humanity has become more lax and complacent as the attacks on their race by forces natural and alien have been significantly smaller in scale compared to that last grand and perilous strike force assembled by Dark Spectre, now a new wave, labelled in the darker corners of the universe as the Warstar, have already landed and you have been selected to save this world before they reduce the world to ruin"

"No offensive Tiki Tim, but we don't sweat invasions, why? Because the Power Rangers always take care of them"

"Precisely why you are here"

Jake was quick to catch on.

"Wait, wait, you want US to be….oh you have got to be kidding"

"He's not kidding" came an alert voice from behind them.

Out of the shadows emerged Emma, her camera in hand.

"Emma, what are you doing here?" said Gia.

"I was in the forest with one of the aliens; Gosei plucked me out of there just in the nick of time"

"Wait, you were here much earlier and yet you still had to stand there in the dark like the rest of us?" asked Jake.

"Not now" said Troy.

Emma showed the group her camera's visual recordings, revealing the features of Creepox as he menacingly cut through the woodland area.

"This can't be real" said Gia.

"Your skepticism is healthy, but this is all TOO real" replied Gosei, "You five have been assembled to form a team, as young Jake realized just moments ago, you will be the latest of the long and lasting Power Rangers lineage. Tensou, show them"

Tensou was half paying attention when the command came.

"What? Oh. Yes, of course, got to justify why you're so willing to put up with these people, ok" he said, bumping into one of the columns, "On screen" he commanded.

Emma glanced at the pink column as it came to life showing her cycling routine and taking photographs.

"Emma, you are not only a great BMX cyclist, but you also truly care about the environment, you will go to great lengths to take care of it. You shall soar across the skies and sail through fire like the Phoenix to serve mankind as the Pink Power Ranger"

Emma smiled.

"Pink _is_ my favorite color" she remarked.

Noah was up next as his column flared into life, revealing sequences of him conducting experiments in the school labs

"Noah, your thirst for knowledge is unequaled, the future of our world depends on great scientific minds like yours, as the Blue Ranger, your attacks will strike hard and fast like that of a shark"

"Or a sharknado" said Jake.

Noah looked at him, perplexed.

"So much for not keeping up to speed on modern classics" said Jake.

"That _isn'_ t a classic" insisted Noah.

"Ah Jake, I was just getting around to you" said Gosei as Jake's column lit up.

"Save it, I'll read my own c.v. There's nothing to match my boundless athleticism or enthusiasm"

"Or ego" remarked Noah.

"I am making you the Black Ranger" said Gosei, "You will strike with the stealth of a snake"

Jake grinned from ear to ear, tossing his football with excitement.

"Then there is Gia" said Gosei as the blonde's column was swiftly alight with images of her writing complicated mathematical formulas on a blackboard.

"You are calm under pressure, yet have the ferocity of a tiger; you will be the Yellow Ranger"

Troy was the last one up. As his column came to life, footage of the exhibition fight he had engaged came into view.

"As for you Troy, your purity of spirit and strength are the results of incredible discipline. Since you have met adversity in your life with conviction and courage, you shall be the Red Ranger and like the mighty dragon, will serve as a wise and noble leader in the field of combat"

"This must be a mistake. A leader? I'm too new…to this town, to a team…" insisted a troubled Troy.

"This is no mistake, you have been chosen because of your skill and caliber of character" replied a proud Gosei, "Each of you will be given access to incredible powers and weapons that will help you protect the Earth"

Shimmering beams of light ignited in front of the teenagers

"Extend your hands and receive the keys to your great power" commanded Gosei. The group did so.

Materializing within their grasp were five small handheld devices, each in the shape of Gosei's head.

"Those are your morphers, with these you will transform into Mega Rangers, you will wield power cards that will unlock further abilities, and you will be able to command mighty machines known as Megazords."

"How do we use this tech?" asked an inquisitive Noah.

"All will be revealed in time" said Gosei.

Troy, while hesitant at first, thought back to how he had been earlier in the day, when he had command of the class, and command of himself. He thought back to his practice earlier, and the exhibition fight he had before that. So much adversity, so much meticulous preparation, and then there was the dream.

A dream involving Power Rangers.

He realized it now.

This was a calling.

And he would not let it go unanswered.

"If the Earth is truly under threat, then we have a duty to stand up, be counted, and defend it" Troy said, "I can't speak for all of us, but I'm in" said Troy.

"Us too" said Gia, "Right everyone?"

"Affirmative" said Emma.

"Ok, I'm in too, but just one question…when this is over; do you think you can book us on Harvey Garvey?" Jake asked.

"I am pleased to hear you are all prepared for what is to come, for your mission as Power Rangers starts now" announced Gosei.

Before the teenagers could begin to ask further questions, the wisps of energy encircled their bodies and they were swiftly taken from Gosei's command centre.


	5. First Wave

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

 **FIRST WAVE**

* * *

Samuel Frasier was fit.

His friends thought so; the girls he would meet in the mall would tell him so.

His mother always insisted he take a jog across the block four times a week to keep trim.

 _Good old mom_ he thought.

It would break her heart to know he'd been making plans to leave home.

A vacancy had opened up at his best friend's flat just south of where he lived. $400 plus and he would receive her generous company as a bonus.

He wondered, as he dashed across the central square of the city, if she would deem it 'appropriate' for him to step up and accept the offer.

He had tried asking her out a summer ago, only to be turned down.

He didn't know it at the time, but she was seeing someone.

Afterwards, their communication had been somewhat more lax.

Something he thought could be easily fixed if he were a constant presence in her life.

He wondered what his mother would think of him insisting on himself like that.

As he continued to dash along, he briefly stared up at the sparkling sun above before fixating his gaze on the direction ahead, only to run smack dab into someone cast in green colours with black gloves and matching stripes across its body and features. At its centre was a small silver chest plate.

"Hey, watch it" he said.

Samuel suddenly noticed something on its hand.

Something distinct.

Something _lethal_.

A sharp and silver blade attached to its arm.

And then he heard a sound of sheer terror as flocks of citizens flew past him, all being chased by legions of what looked to be the same in size and shape as the individual towering over him, raising the blade high above its head, aiming to send it crashing down on Samuel.

Instinct told him to move to one side as the blade came down.

Samuel got up, and immediately thought of several things ahead of his own safety.

Thoughts of home.

Thoughts of his mother.

Christ, it wasn't even nightfall.

It was almost four in the afternoon.

Not even tea time.

She had a whole other half day to get through with this going on.

He needed to be with her.

He needed to phone his best friend and tell her she was in his thoughts.

He needed to tell them he loved both of them.

And to do that, he needed to run.

Run as fast as he could.

As he headed far from the advancing creature and vanished into the teeming mass of frightened humanity scattering in all direction, there was a thunderous thud as the five teens came crashing down to Earth in the midst of the city, landing uncomfortably on their kissers.

"Is everyone ok?" Troy asked as they all started testing whether their arms or legs were unbroken from the crash landing.

"I guess so" replied Noah.

The teenagers glimpsed at the legions of creatures as they leapt on top of cars that had come into the area, pounding on the windows and clawing their way at the doors trying to get into them. For some of the occupants of these vehicles, it was all a matter of who blinked first.

Those that did opened the doors and made a courageous rush for safety, only to be aggressively pursued by those menacing them, blades in hand.

"Aliens?" Jake said, watching the madness unfold.

"Fascinating" remarked Noah.

The sight of one monster grabbing a defenseless male passer-by by their shirt collars and pinning them against a car door with their blade on the edge of their neck was enough cause for Troy to call time on Noah's curiosity.

"Forget your fascination, they're bad news" said Troy.

"Hey" Jake yelled to the creatures. They all turned around to face their heckler.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jake asked, before giving Gia a smug look, hoping she'd be impressed with by any real standard of expectation was a rather pathetic and flat attempt at wit.

The creatures were quick to advance.

"Watch out" said Troy, but the group was too slow.

Emma was the first to be grabbed as the creatures took both of her arms and scurried away with her. Others from the small army made a grab for Troy, but he put up more of a struggle. Noah scurried away, aggressively pursued by the monsters.

Gia, however, was the first to strike back, kicking several of the creatures in the sternum and sending them to the floor.

Upon providing Jake and Troy with a clearing, the teens were able to take the fight to their enemies.

Troy somersaulted over a car to avoid being slashed, but quickly brought both legs back down on to his would-be assailant, and then delivered savage blows with his fists to the monsters.

All the while Noah continued to duck the fight, but his interest in the attackers was enough to fix him to one spot as one of their number collapsed in front of him, weary from a blow rendered to it by Troy.

As Noah inspected the creature, another grabbed his shoulders from behind; Noah dislodged his school bag from his shoulders and swung it around to keep the creature at bay.

Emma, still being dragged along the street by the monsters, seized an opportunity by placing one foot on a car door to gain enough balance to somersault her way out of their grasp. She pulled out her camera and began blinding her adversaries with shot after shot from it, following that up with stern kicks that pushed them back.

"Nice" she remarked.

Jake was now getting into the swing of things, jumping on and sliding off car hoods to make distance between him and those chasing him. Having kept his trusty soccer ball near him, he took the object and kicked it in the vicinity of one creature sitting atop another car hood, knocking it clean off.

He noticed one advancing on an unsuspecting Gia, and disposed of her attacker with the same method.

He briefly allowed himself a moment to savor this moment, hoping this would impress her more, but it opened up a moment for the monsters to rush him, backing him up against a car.

Troy in the meantime was using the cars to his advantage, ducking an attack by opening a car door, allowing a creature to fall straight into it; he then shut the door on it.

The hoards suddenly stopped dead in their tracks and raised their daggers up high. Troy sensed things were about to escalate, and his fears were soon confirmed as powerful energy blasts surged out of the weapons. Fast and furious sparks ignited on the ground, and the impact of the blasts was enough to throw the teenagers over several cars and come crashing down on the ground, much the same way in which they had first arrived.

As the group struggled to gain their bearings, Gia knew that the enemy was closing in, and it would be only a matter of time before the endgame would be in play.


	6. A Dance Amongst Raindrops

**CHAPTER SIX:**

 **A DANCE AMONGST RAINDROPS**

* * *

The waiting had been tense and excruciating for young Kenneth Wilks as his Aunt made her way into the café and sat down beside him with a grim expression.

"There's a monster alert on, we shouldn't be here" said Kenneth as his Aunt Sally Sandra remained unphased by the spectacle outside.

Behind her, Samuel Frasier and a few other bewildered citizens came teeming into the café and urged the proprietor to bolt the downs as the creatures advanced further.

Still, Kenneth's Aunt didn't budge or visibly react.

It was to be admired, by family, at the least. In the eyes of strangers, perhaps the disinterest would be taken more harshly.

"Oh hush" Sandra said. Monster alerts are nothing. The monsters are nothing"

"The monsters are _nothing_?" asked a frustrated Samuel.

Kenneth buried his head in his hands.

Sure enough, his fears about how others would perceive his Aunt were slowly being solidified.

"Excuse me, are you a part of this conversation?"

"What does that matter? We should be finding the back entrance and leaving this joint behind too" insisted Samuel.

"And if you find them waiting for us?" Kenneth pointed out.

"The Power Rangers will take care of them" he said.

"The Rangers haven't been seen in _months_ " Kenneth responded.

"Happens every year. Threat is nullified; villains don't emerge between November and February. Rangers surface in the same month"

"Two years. Those Nighlok things were around for _two_ " Kenneth corrected him, "We're getting worse"

"Excuse me?" asked Samuel.

"You heard me. Worse" Kenneth replied. "We're too complacent. Expecting a savior and not taking the time to take the fight to them themselves, I don't see _you_ going back outside" snapped Kevin.

"I've got a mom and a good friend to take care, I need to be fully intact for that" said Samuel.

"See? Courage spoken of, but easily excused"

"Even the Rangers are getting more complacent. They used to deal with these creatures before nine or ten months were up. Two years poor Pandora City endured those attacks. Government were too scared to lend aid"

"Too economically restricted you mean" said Sally, "They're content enough in the fact that the Rangers are pro-bono"

"Do they even clear anything up though?" said Samuel

"What did you want to talk to about?" Kenneth said, "You said on the phone it was an _intervention_ "

"Call your mother" ordered Sally.

"Pardon?" Kevin asked

"You have your phone about haven't you?"

"If you think I'm calling Mom to tell her about last night…" Kenneth said.

"Tell her about what's happened TODAY. There's monsters attacking"

"You just said that monsters were _nothing_ " Kenneth countered.

"The everyday monsters we deal with are something though, and you need to tell her something. Maybe if you do, one thing will lead to another and the conversation will get longer, and you'll be starved to find things to fill up the time"

"Here, you call her" Kenneth said, handing her the phone.

"No deal" Sally replied.

"Why?" Kenneth asked.

"I'm not too good at keeping my mouth shut. I'm a gossip engine, that's why I arranged this meeting, to convince you to tell _her_ "

"Can he help with anything?" said Samuel.

" _Barricade_ that door" Kevin requested. Samuel nodded.

"Requesting nothing but barriers. That's just you all over" said Sally.

"Fine, I'll call Mom" Kenneth said.

"…You really don't want to tell me what this is about?" asked Samuel as he stacked several chairs against the door of the café.

"You think that's how it works _don't_ you? Have you never heard of a confidant? You think just because it's the annual end of the world parade that gives you the right to listen in? This is a family matter, you're not family, everyone who just came in here are strangers, little raindrops flowing out from a storm. They all have their own lives to lead as they drip down to form places like these, puddles, upon puddles of personality, and unless you fancy yourself a persistent presence, you simply don't dance among the raindrops, you try to avoid the puddles. Now would you mind respecting our privacy?"

"Sure, I get it. Enjoy your talk" Samuel said, and went over to the bar to request a drink.


	7. Set Fire To The Rain

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

 **SET FIRE TO THE RAIN**

* * *

For some reason, Troy felt like stating the obvious was appropriate for his team's present situation as they found themselves surrounded

"Gosei said our power morphers would give us power" he said aloud, "Let's use them, follow my lead"

He took out his morpher and tugged at the mouthpiece embedded in the center of the device, from it emerged a place from which to insert a card.

Troy and the others reached into their respective pockets to find a small card in each, listing their Ranger forms and color designations.

"Gosei Black?" commented Jake as he read the card, "Wow, Mister Tiki really wants to mark his territory with his chosen ones doesn't he?"

"No time for jokes" said Troy.

"So what time is it?" Jake said.

"Just guess" said Noah.

"Lunch?" asked Jake.

"Rangers" came a voice from within each of the teens' collective sub consciousness, "This is Gosei, raise your morphers high, insert the cards into the placeholders and initiate metamorphosis with the command ' _Go Go Megaforce'_ "

The teens did as instructed, and held out their morphers, calling out something which felt like a catchphrase credited more to focus group market strategists than a wise and ancient sage.

"Go, Go Megaforce" they yelled in unison.

A string of bright lights shimmered over them, their respective animal totems flowed in and around their bodies, their civilian outfits were swiftly replaced with spandex uniforms, and the animal totems wrapped themselves around the base of their heads, creating helmets.

The transformation complete, the teens stood before the immense forces still at large in the city.

Their will a force of iron, their confidence growing stronger, and the teenagers took their first bold steps forward as Power Rangers.

"It's time for our new weapons" said Gia, taking out another card. Featured on the card was a claw-like weapon.

Jake looked at his own deck of cards, and pulled out one with an axe featured.

Both inserted the cards into their morphers.

"Summoning battle gear" cried out the distinct voice of Gosei.

"Tiger Claw" cried Gia.

"Snake Axe" Jake cried in succession.

Their respective weapons materialized in their hands. They leapt into the air immediately, lashing out at the approaching armies with their weapons, and hit two home strikes as they came down.

As their double teaming continued, Noah decided it was now his turn as he fought his portion of the fight. "Shark Bow Gun" he cried out as he inserted a card into the morpher, as before, the battle gear was summoned.

Noah took to the top of a bridge and began taking shots at the creatures below him, managing to take out a few targets that were converging on the tandem of Jake and Gia as they used their respective weapons to fell more foes.

"Nice shooting there Noah" said Jake. Noah nodded in acknowledgement and leapt off the bridge, blasting as many of the enemy as he could on the way down, before meeting more upon touch down with a lightning round of blocks, punches, and kicks, all while holding his bow gun firmly in hand.

Emma and Troy were the last to summon their weapons. Emma had a feathered firearm which she labelled the Phoenix Shot; she soared high into the air and made a beeline for the enemy, triggering the weapon as she made a fastball spiral twist, rendering her adversaries helpless and in a partially ignited heap.

Troy, as the leader, opted to spare Gosei all the battle gear announcing on his end and voiced the command himself as the slick dragon sword shimmered into form within the palm of his hand.

"Keep taking the fight to them guys" Troy instructed to his friends.

* * *

Kenneth looked out the window of the café, transfixed by the battle spilling out into the streets.

"Power Rangers" a little boy beside him said, "They are real"

"We forget them so quickly, almost as if the human race is supposed to" Kenneth responded, "Some sort of instinct within us, much like the small pockets of resistance many have to Gods"

"Are the Rangers angels?" asked the kid.

Kenneth smiled and rubbed his hand through the young scamp's hair in a joking manner, "You're just the kind of age to believe in anything, so I'll let you think whatever you want there, keep the faith champ"

"Well?" Sally asked as she came back from the bathroom, "Did you call her?"

Kenneth tossed the phone to her, "Yeah"

"Does she know anything beyond the situation?" Sally probed.

"I gave her the basics" he said

"Of what?" she said.

"I'll let you work out which situation I'm talking about."

"You just want to trick me into telling your mother I staged an intervention, that I'll just slip up in the midst of our next conversation" Sally said, feeling slightly insulted.

"Yeah well, everyone has to feel a bit uncomfortable with what's been going on, no one should have the right to higher ground" Kenneth replied.

"Guys, the fight is getting dangerously close to where we are, we best scatter" Samuel said.

"Nah, I think we're holding the fort pretty well here" Kenneth said, before swiftly ducking as a body of one of the alien attackers came careering through the window. Fragments of glass showering him and the kid.

The child's mother rushed over to grab him as Kenneth staggered to his feet.

"Yeah, I think a window of opportunity just literally opened up" he remarked. "Let's go"

* * *

Aboard the Warstar command vessel, Malkor, Vrak and Creepox were observing the battle with interest and great frustration.

"Earth dares to fight back against us" Creepox hissed, "It will be our pleasure to destroy them all"

"The Loogies are admirable in their resolve, but I believe this situation calls for a more aggressive show of force, one that can match the Power Rangers in equal measure, as many have before" Vrak replied,

"Yes, we must test these Rangers with someone tougher. And I have the ideal candidate… the rock beetle,Scaraba.

Malkor summoned his soldier to the main command deck. Scaraba, despite his billing as the rock beetle, resembled very much an Egyptian scarab in appearance. His abilities included the ability to construct boulders out of the rubble he could amass within his stomach grinder, his hands also contained orbs from which he could produce strong electrical currents of energy.

"Reporting for duty sir" Scaraba spoke, "I'll show those hopelessly heroic humans insects the like of which they've never seen before!"


	8. Point B To Point A

**CHAPTER EIGHT:**

 **POINT B TO POINT A**

* * *

Scaraba made his mark quickly. Rolling into the city dancing atop a giant boulder that threatened to crush everything in its path. It sent the populace scattering in all direction.

"Run, humans run" he cackled.

Amongst those fleeing was the plucky trio of Samuel, Kenneth, and Sally

"This is not how I imagined rock and roll" Kenneth said, repeatedly panting as his state of panic caused him to lose precious amounts of breath and thus began slowing him down.

"You said it" said Samuel, "Try to hold in your breaths and release them only in small bursts every thirty seconds, we've got to keep pushing forward"

"I'll do my best" said Kenneth.

Suddenly, one of Samantha's heels suddenly broke, and she came crashing down knees first on the hard concrete.

Kenneth scrambled to her side to help her up, only for both to be faced with the oncoming storm that was the monstrous boulder already reducing the bravest of citizens to quivering jelly.

Suddenly, the pair felt a sharp tug on their shoulders and found themselves being wrenched backwards out of harm's way.

They looked behind them to find the Black Megaforce Ranger holding tightly onto them.

"Don't worry, I have you" said the Black Megaforce Ranger

"Thanks" said Kenneth, who then tended to Sally. She found herself limping.

"You ok?"

"I think I twisted something on the way down"

"Sammy, get over here" Kenneth beckoned. Samuel ran over and allowed Sally to lean on his right shoulder while she draped another arm over Kenneth's left.

"We'll get her to safety; you deal with that thing" said Kenneth, "Thanks again"

"Hey monster" cried out Troy as the Rangers arrived at the scene, having been notified by Gosei.

"Me?" said Scarba as he disembarked from his boulder.

"You may scare them, but we're unafraid" said Troy.

Scaraba summoned Loogies to his side. "Now that we're off to a rocky start, let's see what you've got Rangers"

"We'll protect this planet, no matter what it takes out of us" said Troy.

The Rangers gallantly posed in defiance of the immeasurable odds. Immense explosions pulsated behind them as the raw invisible power of the morphing grid's energies expelled powerful shots of excess energy. A requirement to reduce over taxation of the Rangers power levels and allow them to engage in swift conflict.

"You really want to fight? Then we'll fight" Scaraba snapped back, unshaken by the spectacle, and ordered the Loogies to advance.

"Rangers, the time has come to summon your mega blasters" said Gosei.

The Rangers brought out their morphers yet again and inserted their data cards into them

"Let's do it" said Jake.

"Mega Blasters activate" the Rangers bellowed, yet again in unison. Five handheld weapons, each bearing the distinct features of the ferocious animal spirits the Rangers were infused with, materialized in their hands.

"Alright. Let's fry these Loogies" said Gia.

As the Loogies advanced from every plausible direction, the Rangers sent them packing with impeccable and precise aiming with their blasters.

Their great firepower sending them flying backwards into the sharp edges of damaged and collapsed buildings.

Some attempted to attack from atop the remains of some complexes, but the Rangers were sharp and alert and took their targets down even from those great heights.

As the Rangers dispatched with the Loogies, Scaraba could only react in horror.

"Summon your mega weapons everyone" Troy commanded. The Rangers again took their cards and inserted them into the morphers.

Part of them fought severely against the part of their weariness of the routine, knowing it had to be done to get from Point A to Point B,

And Point B was an on-point A-+ plan of attack.

It began with Emma mounting Troy's back as he glided through the air, firing her Phoenix shot at Scaraba. As he fell backwards, Troy closed in with a swift strike of his sword.

Jake and Gia followed that up with hits from the Snake Axe and Tiger Claw, while Noah struck with his weapon with a flying leap above the monstrous force, firing repeated shots as he hovered past him.

The Rangers huddled together as the monster felt the full brunt of their attacks and struggled to recover.

Then, the miracle happened.

The Rangers combined their weapons into an immense tool for which to see off their foe. It required the tiresome practice of inserting their cards to make it function, but when it did, it provided necessary, and remarkable, results.

A powerful torrent of energy emerged from the blaster and struck down Scaraba, who was catapulted into the air and felt his entire body mass splinter and scatter as a ferocious explosion threw his atoms across the city

"Mega Rangers, that's a mega win" exclaimed a triumphant Troy.

"Ok, seriously? Someone is gonna have to proof-read and polish up your victory speeches" Jake remarked.


	9. Firm Foundations

**CHAPTER NINE:**

 **FIRM FOUNDATIONS**

* * *

Aboard the Warstar command vessel, Malkor was despairing at this humiliating defeat.

"They beat us back" he said, "Just as in every instance with any that dared tread upon the Earth with intents of conquest, the Power Rangers always find a way to rise and resist any advance"

"We will deal with them Admiral, you can be assured of that" vowed Creepox.

Malkor noticed Vrak slowly pacing up and down the command deck with one finger pointed beneath his chin.

"You would be wise to be attentive when I'm rambling Vrak" said Malkor with a feisty and fierce tone in his commanding voice, "Had you not been so overconfident, we could have spared Scaraba that humiliating fate"

"Perhaps you will be more forgiving of my apparent recklessness when you see what has resulted from it"

"Speak less in riddles around me" snapped Malkor.

"He has wasted time and resources, I say we forget what ties he has to our sovereign royalty and throw him out of the airlock" threatened Creepox.

Vrak walked over to the primary control console and pressed his fingers gently across the dashboard. Soon, video footage of the Rangers and their immense firepower lit up the monitor screens.

"Scaraba forced the Rangers to utilize their more advanced weapons" Vrak explained, "I was able to gather visual data on. We must now prioritize and work on adjusting our defensive measures, and inform future recruits of how to best counter-attack when faced with these weapons. In time, we will escalate the battles further in, let's just say, greater proportions"

"Your strategies do not sit well with me Vrak, but they have indeed yielded results" Malkor replied, and turned to Creepox.

"Send this footage out to all recruits presently dwelling in the underbelly of this vessel" he commanded, "The Rangers may have stopped the first wave, but the tide will turn against them just as swiftly. This planet will belong to us before the Armada 's advance on the galaxy approaches"

* * *

Gathered at the Command Center, the jubilant teenagers stood before Gosei, who congratulated them on a job well done

"We were very fortunate" said Noah, "All that power at our disposal, it could have proven overwhelming"

"Luck had nothing to do with it. Your conviction and concentration helped you rise to the occasion, nothing can overwhelm when you are so fixated on how to overcome" replied a proud Gosei.

"I'd say this has been the craziest first day of school I think anyone's ever had, but I'd be lying. This has all happened before, with other Rangers, in other times, in other places, they were just as prepared to do their part then as we are now" said Troy.

"The only drawback is the helmets do mess around with my hair" joked Emma.

"We're a force to be reckoned with…a Mega Force" said Jake.

"Looks like my speech writers are gonna have to work on your sense of all too obvious humour too" remarked Troy.

The five stared at each other, with looks of assertiveness, respect and admiration for coming through in the field of combat, showing no fear and no regrets. They formed fists and put them together in a show of solidarity amongst soldiers.

In unison, they echoed this pledge

"Earth's defenders never surrender"

 **THE BEGINNING**


End file.
